We set off on a holiday or otherwise known as 5 city breaks within two weeks! Ambitious?! Maybe but we were excited about the thought of seeing lots of new places, travelling on various modes of transport and maybe even lying on a beach at least once!
First stop was Dubrovnik, somewhere we have both been excited to visit for a few years now. Upon arriving we must admit we have never entered a city that had such a remarkable first impression. We wandered through the archways of Kings Landing, following Cersi's walk of shame up to our apartment. We were on the outside of the walls which I would really recommend as we escaped the tourists and had a great view of the city. Dubrovnik is an unbelievable place, with incredible buildings, light and 1000's of swift's flying above the city. Much smaller than York and the walls are fully in tact which means there are ample amazing views of the city from above. A super start to the trip.
Next up was a 5 hour bus journey to Split. Travelling across the Bosnia & Herzegovina border twice in order to travel up the Croatian coast line we finally made it to this rather modern city with a beautiful old town. A lovely mix of idyllic old buildings and modern cocktail serving restaurants, we had a great airbnb with good tips from the locals so made the most of our 48 hours in Split.
By this point we thought we had done a lot of walking but that was nothing compared to our next stop of Venice! Having visited once before I had forgotten the size of the city and it surprised me how lost we would actually get. I do believe this is the most romantic city we have ever visited together. We fell in love with the back streets, the canals (of course) and the prosecco! We were constantly beaming and saying 'Wow!' each time we turned a corner. The food was obviously amazing and we tried to eat as much pasta and pizza as we could every day. The sunsets were wonderful as was the buzz after dark, we were given some good tips by our friends Ben & Mieke so found all the local hangs and felt totally at home. We actually didn't want to leave!
Florence next and this now felt like a proper city break. No more pedestrianised streets and tourist menus, Florence catered for the fast lifestyle of early Italian breakfasts and all day gelato stops! We did a pasta making course in Florence which was one of the best parts of the trip, as we realised how easy it was and how delicious it tasted! Sunset overlooking the city with a few beers and a visit to the Boboli gardens before we headed up into the Tuscan hills.
San Giminago was a bus ride away and we headed up for the promise of spectacular wine and views. Unfortunately storms started brewing as we arrived but that didn't put us off wandering and hiding inside the cave like bars for a wine or two! We watched a couple get married and found a great family run restaurant to eat our final fill of Italian cuisine!
Last stop Pisa! Yes we visited the leaning tower and Andy was on the hunt for a McDonalds that Homer Simpson had visited on the show! We found both, but not too much else in Pisa. Just a stop to see the sight before we headed home. A jam packed holiday full of easy journeys and lots of the essentials - food and wine! Two happy Travellers!
